Still in the St. Patrick's Day Spirit
St. Patrick's Day might over, but I know that some of my patients celebrate all week. In fact, just yesterday a gentlemen arrived at his session wearing his shamrock scarf - still in the St. Patrick's Day spirit. He told me that he was about to sit down to this third St. Patrick's Day feast. While this may not be ideal for weight and blood sugar control, he looks forward to this all year long and makes it work without negatively impacting his blood sugars. He did some experimenting with his food choices - kept a blood sugar and a food log. He discovered that his blood sugars are best when he loads up on vegetables, reduces...
Source: About Diabetes - March 20, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Do You Avoid Fruit Because It's Too Sugary?
Fruit is refreshing, healthy and delicious. But, like anything you can't eat unlimited fruit, especially if you are someone with Type 2 diabetes and are following a consistent carbohydrate diet. You don't need to avoid fruit completely either. It always frustrates me when patients are told by loved ones that they can't eat fruit because it's too sweet. Fruit although it contains fruit sugar, fructose, also contains fiber, vitamins and minerals, and is rich in water. If fruit is a love of yours', you can find out ways to incorporate it into your meal plan without wrecking havoc on your blood sugars. Ask your Registered Diet...
Source: About Diabetes - March 14, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Do You Avoid Fruit Because It's Too Sugary?
Fruit is refreshing, healthy and delicious. But, like anything you can't eat unlimited fruit, especially if you are someone with Type 2 diabetes and are following a consistent carbohydrate diet. You don't need to avoid fruit completely either. It always frustrates me when patients are told by loved ones that they can't eat fruit because it's too sweet. Fruit although it contains fruit sugar, fructose, also contains fiber, vitamins and minerals, and is rich in water. If fruit is a love of yours', you can find out ways to incorporate it into your meal plan without wrecking havoc on your blood sugars. Ask your Registered Diet...
Source: About Diabetes - March 10, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
How to Avoid Pain When Testing Your Blood Sugars
A patient of mine thanked me graciously after learning that he could actually test his blood sugar without fear or pain. He had been avoiding testing his blood sugars because he was afraid it would hurt. In the past he was using the pads of his fingers. I explained - lancing the tips or pads of fingers can be painful because there are more nerve endings there. Instead, it's best to test the sides of the finger - between the bottom of the nail bed to the tip of the nail. He tried it in the office and was shocked that he barely felt a thing. Now he is monitoring regularly, losing weight and getting his sugars in range. It w...
Source: About Diabetes - March 10, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Think of Your Body as An Investment
Invest in your health - that is my motto for all my patients. This especially hit home today when a young woman walked into my office with a broken spirit. After the birth of her last child and years of fad dieting she is heavier than ever before. With a strong family history of diabetes and heart disease, sustainable weight loss is critical for preventing or delaying diabetes.
We talked for a long time about her motivation and her diet shortcomings. I discovered that what prevented her from achieving her goals was her lack of confidence in herself and her inability to make herself a priority. In the past she relied on pi...
Source: About Diabetes - March 4, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
How Do You Know if Your Blood Sugar is High?
Yesterday, I asked one of my patients to test her blood sugar during our session. She doesn't test her blood sugar regularly and was eating a diet rich in carbohydrates. To her dismay the glucometer read: 350mg/dL. She had been walking around with high blood sugars for so long that she didn't even realize her sugars were elevated. We came up with a plan together: she would test her blood sugars regularly - morning and two hours after a meal for one week. If her blood sugars were above target range she would cut back on her carbohydrates and schedule an appointment with her physician to assess her medications. One of the be...
Source: About Diabetes - February 28, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Simple Changes Can Yield Big Results
One of my favorite things about being a clinician is that I get to experience and share in the successes of my patients. I feel fortunate that I am able to learn from them each day and that I can share my knowledge and their wisdom with all of the people who deal with Type 2 diabetes on a daily basis. Let's be honest - diabetes is not an easy thing to live with. One of the major struggles posed on those with diabetes is weight loss. I was reminded yesterday that even the most simple changes can yield big results that motivate us to make life altering changes.
My patient was a 73-year-old man who had been struggling with T...
Source: About Diabetes - February 27, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
What's New?
When it comes to diabetes we are always looking for answers to questions like: What are the best foods to eat? Should I only eat sugar free? Can I drink alcohol? What are the best snacks? It's helpful to have someone guide you to make the best decisions possible.What's New? originally appeared on About.com Diabetes on Tuesday, February 18th, 2014 at 10:30:23.Permalink | Comment | Email this (Source: About Diabetes)
Source: About Diabetes - February 18, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
What About Snacks?
Although I am a dietitian, I still get dizzy with all the products at the grocery store touting food claims. If you are grocery shopping with hopes to find some good snack foods - you may need some help. The most simple advice I can give is to walk the perimeter - avoid the center aisles filled with packaged, snack foods that will leave you feeling hungry and unsatisfied. Grocery shop with a purpose - pick whole food snacks that are rich in fiber and protein and lower in carbohydrate. For example: 1 small apple (size of tennis ball) with 1 tablespoon of nut butter - savory and naturally sweet, rich in nutrients, fiber and ...
Source: About Diabetes - February 18, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Is Your Diet Increasing Your Blood Pressure?
Elevated blood pressure is a health condition you do not want to ignore. Often referred to as the "silent killer", people often don't even realize that they have hypertension (high blood pressure). Although we can't control all risk factors, we can control our diet. The American Heart Association suggests that for 1 in 3 people who have high blood pressure, a high sodium diet is to blame. We can all benefit from reducing our sodium intake.Is Your Diet Increasing Your Blood Pressure? originally appeared on About.com Diabetes on Monday, February 10th, 2014 at 15:48:16.Permalink | Comment | Email this (Source: About Diabetes)
Source: About Diabetes - February 10, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Diabetes Self Management Group Classes
are a great way to hash out problems and develop strategies to tackling obstacles with people who have the same issues as you do. The Diabetes Conversation Map Class, a patient centered approach to diabetes management, is an informal, yet educational method to learning about diabetes. I know many educators who have had great success using this style of teaching.Diabetes Self Management Group Classes originally appeared on About.com Diabetes on Thursday, February 6th, 2014 at 22:01:07.Permalink | Comment | Email this (Source: About Diabetes)
Source: About Diabetes - February 6, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
If you've just been told you have prediabetes you are certainly not alone. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 57 million people in the United States are considered to have prediabetes. While the diagnosis can be scary and overwhelming, it may actually alter your life for the better. I had a follow-up session with a lovely woman this week - we have been working together for the past four months - this week we learned that she reduced her HgbA1c and cholesterol considerably. Based on her recent blood work, she no longer falls into the prediabetes category and is feeling great and energized. What did she do? She ha...
Source: About Diabetes - February 4, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
If you've just been told you have prediabetes you are certainly not alone. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 57 million people in the United States are considered to have prediabetes. While the diagnosis can be scary and overwhelming, it may actually alter your life for the better. I had a follow-up session with a lovely woman this week - we have been working together for the past four months - this week we learned that she reduced her HgbA1c and cholesterol considerably. Based on her recent blood work, she no longer falls into the prediabetes category and is feeling great and energized. What did she do? She ha...
Source: About Diabetes - January 31, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
The Importance of Eye Health
The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with Type 2 diabetes have a dilated comprehensive eye exam shortly after diagnosis. And if there is no history of retinopathy than exams every two years can be considered, otherwise they should follow-up yearly. The reason is because people with diabetes are at increased risk of developing eye disease and early detection is critical for preventing complications. Glaucoma is one of the many eye conditions that people with diabetes are at increased risk for. I recently learned that January is National Glaucoma awareness month so I decided to educate myself on the topic...
Source: About Diabetes - January 30, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
